Troops clear irrigation tank

[February
02
2018]

A collective effort by Sri Lanka Army troops and Civil
Defence Department personnel saw an important irrigation tank in the
Minneriya region being cleared and renovated. According to Army media,
the 'Chandana Pokuna' in Hingurakgoda, Minneriya is developed under this
initiative by the troops under the 'Pibidemu Polonnaruwa' project.

The project got off the ground, after a public appeal,
on Wednesday (31st January) to clear the tank which irrigates a large
extend of paddy land and also supply water to more than 325 families in
the locality. The tank which has an extent of a little more than 42
acres has a long history dating back to the times of yore. Troops took
up the arduous task of clearing and developing the tank which was
covered with aquatic and invasive plants, while its bund was in a state
of neglect for the past two decades.

More than 200 Army troops and CSD personnel are
involved in the project. Once the project is over it is expected that
the increased capacity of the tank will enable more land to be brought
under the plough.